Senate Joint Resolution
No. 5
CHAPTER 142
Relative to California transportation infrastructure.
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Filed with
Secretary of State
September 09, 2019.
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LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SJR 5, Beall.
California transportation infrastructure.
This measure would urge the Congress and the President of the United States to work together to enact the robust bipartisan federal infrastructure legislation necessary to restore California’s and other states’ crumbling road and freight infrastructure, respond to growing traffic congestion, and increase investment in public transportation, most particularly, by expanding paratransit services for the elderly and those with special needs. The measure would additionally urge the Congress and the President of the United States to address the shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund by restoring the lost purchasing power of the federal fuel tax, in order to provide the long-term funding stability necessary for California and other states.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, California’s transportation infrastructure is aging and in serious need of repair, with more than 44 percent of major roads and highways considered in poor condition and another 25 percent rated mediocre; and
WHEREAS, This problem is even more acute in urban areas, where more than 53 percent of major roads and highways are in poor condition and 25 percent are rated mediocre; and
WHEREAS, California motorists spend in excess of $22 billion annually in additional operating costs, more than $843 per driver, as a result of driving on poorly maintained roads; and
WHEREAS, Increasing levels of traffic congestion are clogging urban freeways, impacting commutes and commerce, and costing Californians an estimated $29 billion annually in wasted time and fuel; and
WHEREAS, With California’s population expected to grow to 48 million by 2040, substantial new investment in public transportation will be needed to improve mobility, reduce gridlock, and meet critical greenhouse gas reduction targets, yet the state’s transit agencies collectively face billions of dollars annually in capital and operating shortfalls; and
WHEREAS, These transit agencies face particularly acute regulatory challenges and funding shortfalls in providing vital paratransit services to the elderly, persons with disabilities, and others with special needs; and
WHEREAS, Freight transportation is critical to the economic vitality of the United States and robust investment in safe and efficient transportation facilities and infrastructure is essential to promoting strong economic growth in California and throughout the nation; and
WHEREAS, California serves as the nation’s gateway to international trade as the entry point for nearly one-fifth of the country’s imports, by far the largest share of any state, with the state’s vast network of land and seaports, truck routes, and rail lines transporting more than $2.8 trillion in goods annually; and
WHEREAS, California’s freight system is responsible for the creation of 800,000 freight jobs and stimulates creation of millions of other jobs throughout the economy; and
WHEREAS, The California Legislature, having risen to meet this crisis by enacting the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (Chapter 5 of the Statutes of 2017) to add more than $5 billion annually in new transportation investment, depends on the federal government to provide its share of the resources needed to restore and enhance California’s highway, transit, and active transportation infrastructure for the generations to come; and
WHEREAS, For the past 25 years, the Congress of the United States has failed to take action to preserve or restore the purchasing power of the federal fuel tax or provide any alternate solution adequate to ensure sustained federal investment in the nation’s transportation system; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the Congress and the President of the United States to work together to enact the robust bipartisan federal infrastructure legislation necessary to restore California’s and other states’ crumbling road and freight infrastructure, respond to growing traffic congestion, and increase investment in public transportation, most particularly, by expanding paratransit services for the elderly and those with special needs; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Congress and the President of the United States to address the shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund by restoring the lost purchasing power of the federal fuel tax in order to provide the long-term funding stability necessary for California and other states to rebuild infrastructure, invest in people through good, well-paying jobs, and strengthen the state’s and the nation’s economy; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.
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CORRECTIONS:
Text—Page 3.
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